Primary Teacher Job Hope Revived for Hundreds After List Corrections
Jahid Hasan, a person with special needs from Mathbaria in Pirojpur, recently felt great joy. His name appeared on a list for assistant teachers in government primary schools. This happened after his name was not on an earlier list. “I cannot express how happy I am,” Jahid Hasan said. “My parents and elder sister are even happier than me.”
Many other candidates whose names were missing are now being added to job lists. These lists are being published by the local district primary education offices. This brings relief to many who had been waiting for their appointments.
The Directorate of Primary Education first recommended 14,384 candidates for these positions. This list was published on its website on February 8. District Primary Education Offices then published names on September 24. Candidates were told to join their posts by October 1.
However, many recommended candidates found their names missing from these final appointment lists. Unhappy candidates said over 2,000 people were left out. Sources said that negative information from an intelligence agency caused many to miss out.
Following their exclusion, affected candidates protested in Dhaka. They demanded their appointments. There was also much criticism on social media platforms. As a result, some excluded candidates have now started to appear on updated lists.
Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan said that appointment letters are being sent out in phases. This process will continue until October 1. Only then will the final number of excluded people be clear, he added. The minister stated 817 candidates were still waiting for letters, with background checks ongoing.
The minister also explained that 14,384 candidates passed the recruitment exam. About 530 people did not continue their applications. This was because they did not send in needed documents, perhaps finding other jobs. He added that 13,854 complete applications were received. Some candidates had also changed their addresses, and updated letters are now being uploaded.
Because of the Minister’s statement, the candidates who were protesting have stopped their demonstrations for now. Bangladesh has 65,567 government primary schools. More than 10 million students study in them. The country needs many teachers, with thousands of assistant teacher positions still open.
